Live Your Priorities: Push away the Fog of a Hectic Life

This week has been a good one so far.  I've started volunteering at Flannery's school on Monday mornings, and it's amazing how much happiness that one change has brought me.   It's such a blessing to see her in action in her classroom, and to get to meet all of her sweet little classmates, and to see how affectionate they are with one another.  When Flannery walks into her classroom in the mornings, there are two little girls who run to her and give her hugs, calling out, "Flannery!!"  It's just adorable.

And now, when I drop her off or come by for lunch at her school, the kids all say, "Hi Flannery's mom!"  It's nice to get to know them, and to get a glimpse into the individual life and community she's creating at school.

I've also tried to focus on being more patient with my family and making time to chat together about more than just the necessities.   It's so easy to get busy and just kind of bark information to one another in the rush of the day.  Does your life get that crazy, too?  Sometimes I think that we are so polite to our coworkers and friends, but then we forget our manners when it comes to our family--the very people we care most about!  I would never speak to a client the way I rush my daughter around in the mornings.  "Get in the car!  Close the door!"  And I should give her the most consideration, as she's my darling girl!   I'm trying to work on that.

Yesterday, we had a special "ice cream date" after I picked her up from school, and I made a point to just soak in the moment and really listen to her as she picked out only the chocolate chip cookie dough from her mini blizzard. :)  I also have been trying to ask more about the specifics of my hubby's day, because I just feel more connected and calm, and it's easier to be patient and easy-going, when I know what was hard and what was easy for him that day at work.  Sometimes I feel like the "fog" of hectic life descends on us as a family, and I have to really step back and take strong action to get us back to living our priorities.

I have a long way to go, I know, but a few little steps toward living my priorities make for a pretty big happiness boost for me.  Which keeps me going toward the next set of baby steps.  




Do you feel sometimes that the fog of a hectic life surrounds you?  What baby steps can you take this week toward living your priorities?  

Murphy's Law

On top of the craziness that is normal moving and unpacking and sorting and organizing, on Thursday, a breaker in our kitchen decided to malfunction. At first, the power just went out when I used the dryer. Annoying, but not completely disastrous.

Then, the breaker decided to flip every time I used the oven or the stove. Yup, that's right, every time I try to, say, cook, in my kitchen, the power goes out. Every time.

Arrrgh.

And the electrician who was supposed to try to squeeze us in on Friday never showed. So it'll be Monday before we can even call him again to see if he can possibly help us out.

Which has made for a really ridiculously frustrating few days.

I've tried to be productive. I've unpacked. I've organized. I've hung photos and art.

But my laundry is piling up. And my microwavable, toaster oven-able, crock-pot-able food ideas (the few appliances that don't immediately blow our kitchen fuse) are all used up.

As is my patience.




What helps you calm down when you're super frustrated?


By the way, the photo above is of this amazing circular kitchen that rotates 180 degrees, designed for really small spaces. I stumbled upon it looking at clever designs for small kitchens, and now I really want one!